Mistaken
by Georgia Doe
Summary: On what seems to be a simple delivery, Sakura is put in danger and in the knowledge of something she shouldn't know. Worse yet, the information she now holds is of great interest to the Akatsuki.
1. Chapter 1

A/N This story came from a dream that I had that has been plagueing my thoughts for a while. I've been working on it on and off since then, and I finally decided to post it. Just to prove that yes, I'm still typing, just not very quickly. A warning to you all, though I've done a rediculous amount of rereading, this is my first attempt at having Itachi in a story, and it's almost a given that he'll be OOC, so please, please tell me how I can improve my portrayal of him!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Hatake Kakashi crouched beside Sakura on the branch of the ancient pine tree. He pressed a finger to his lips, or rather the general area of his mask that Sakura assumed they were underneath, signaling silence. Sakura nodded curtly, as sweat dripped down the back of her neck.

She began to wonder whether she even should have come. Kakashi pulled up his headband, the red glow of his sharingan eye standing out against the forested background, and he looked over his shoulder through the dense foliage. Sakura began to feel the familiar stomach upsetting feeling of fear, waiting behind the silent Kakashi who stood stalk still. In a matter of milliseconds, his head had cocked back, looking over Sakura's right shoulder, and he had grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling it down violently as he himself ducked as well. A neat row of kunai blades embedded themselves in the tree where their heads had been sitting, the shock of this making Sakura withhold her cry of pain.

"Sakura, stay in the trees and hide," Kakashi stated in a low, quick voice, before they both jumped away in opposite directions. Sakura felt her pulse race as chakra in her feet stuck her to all of the trees she traveled through. Bounding through the branches, Sakura looked around; Kakashi had known from the start that they were being followed, him specifically.

She caught a glimpse of his silver hair flashing across the forest floor as she passed him by. Whoever was following them was good, very good. She had seen neither hide nor hair of their pursuer yet, and had come face to face with death in that short time slot. Then Sakura saw it; the leaves of trees and the man's movement kept her from getting a good look, but Sakura saw blackness.

"Kakashi!" Sakura yelled, pointing in the place where she'd seen the movement. Kakashi looked up, following her arm to where she was pointing. He ducked to the right, forming katas with his hands. Sakura leapt off of the tree she clung to, watching Kakashi dart through the shadows. It was only when she felt the whiplash of an errant branch across her lower cheek that Sakura took her eyes off of her old sensei and looked up to see where exactly she was going. She caught herself on a tree trunk, her knees bending as her entire body fell into a defensive crouching position to absorb the shock. Her heels had taken too much of the force, and Sakura yelped before she could help herself, a dull, sore pain passing through her feet.

In an instant, before Sakura's inner thoughts could even finish berating her, Sakura felt herself pulled backwards. She tried to wiggle her wrists in vain, but they were being held tightly as her back was being held against a body. A kunai similar to her own was pressed against her throat, it seemed that the only things that Sakura could feel were cold and lifeless; the cool metal of a knife, and the thick fabric of a traveling cloak.

With a bitter laugh that Sakura held in, she realized that even now, on the eve of her death, she wouldn't be able to see her assailant. It was irony at its cruelest. "Hatake Kakashi," He said, the coldness of his voice sending chills down the back of Sakura's neck, "Where is it?"

Sakura held her breath as Kakashi stepped out into the clearing, blinking in recognition. He pulled out a white scroll, sealed with a ring of green paper inscribed in wax with the kanji for _ten._ A scroll kept safe by heaven itself, to be delivered from the Hokage to the Mizukage. "Uchiha Itachi," Kakashi said in surprise. Sakura flinched at the name, her dull, macabre amusement folding up underneath the horror that gathered in her breast. Her breathing quickened, as Sakura began to try and think clearly as best she could, a difficult thing to do with impending death hanging over you. The only thought that could clearly pass though her head was 'I'm really going to die this time…'

Sakura felt her feet leave the security of the tree as Itachi leapt down to the ground. Sakura's aching feet protested loudly at the landing, but she didn't dare make a noise; that was what had gotten her into the situation in the first place. "I propose a trade," Itachi stated coolly, "The scroll for your little kunoichi." Kakashi dropped the kunai blade that he'd been holding in a show of treaty, and stepped forward with the scroll. Itachi waited.

"Release Sakura first," Kakashi demanded. Itachi smirked in amusement as he shoved Sakura tumbling over herself towards him.

"You should know that the Uchiha keep their word," he stated, slipping the scroll out of Kakashi's grip as Kakashi caught Sakura. Kakashi helped Sakura get her balance, glancing at their surroundings.

Sakura shuddered, brushing herself off, "I don't want to be here." Kakashi hesitated, and then nodded, taking Sakura's wrist as they walked out of the clearing. Sakura gazed at Itachi in one last glance of fear, and then a deep hatred… for Sasuke's sake. Itachi began to undo the silk rope that wound around the scroll.

"Kakashi, how can you just give him the scroll-" Sakura asked, her fear dissipating the further they walked as she regained her thoughts, before Kakashi covered her mouth. They were out of sight of Itachi at this point, the many trees and plants obscuring them from view.

"A life is more important than a scroll," Kakashi said, yanking her to the side by her wrist. "Sakura, we've got no time left, I need you to get back to Konoha, alright?" he asked, pulling her into a run. Sakura blinked; his voice was so quiet it was barely audible. "I'll draw his attention," Kakashi said, stopping them both a fair distance away. Sakura opened her mouth to argue that Itachi had gotten what he'd come for, when Kakashi pulled out the scroll. His hand that held it shook slightly, as if from the raw power of it; the seal was gone. "I gave him a decoy, this is more important than you can understand," Kakashi said quickly. He paused, his mind racing. "It's unstable with the seal gone; hold still," he suddenly commanded. Sakura did as she was told, and Kakashi unrolled the scroll, not looking at it as he flipped it over for her to see.

Sakura had never seen a scroll as intricately done as this was. The ink was as black as midnight, and immediately Sakura felt like she'd lost herself in it. There was so much she simply couldn't take it all in. Ninja techniques, notes on chakra, and things that Sakura had never seen before came clearly into her mind. Sakura felt her forehead start throbbing as all of this information was finding its way into her head, she felt like she knew everything, and at the same time, like she was dieing; it was too much. She fell to her knees and screamed, shutting her eyes and holding her temple; it felt like it was on the brink of bursting.

And as quickly as she'd known chakra techniques, lists of ninja traits, and simply everything there was to know, Sakura knew none of it. Kakashi helped lift up her crumpled form by the wrist as she got up and stumbled forward, drunk on pain, shock, and adrenalin. Kakashi took off her headband and retied it across her forehead in the traditional style as quickly as he could manage.

"Sakura, get back to Konoha and wait for me. Stay to the trees, and this time _keep quiet_," he whispered, before darting through the shadows and disappearing. Sakura began to regain her thoughts as the pain receded. Testing her chakra flow, she walked up the side of a tree. Thinking back on the urgency of Kakashi's warning, Sakura nodded to herself and started heading back. She began to feel like her normal self again as she breathed in the fresh cool air of the morning and her nausea receded; she couldn't even remember what had been written on that scroll.

Thinking it over, Sakura decided that a sacrifice in speed was necessary to remain unnoticeable. Climbing through the trees, her feet slipped off of the side, the chakra faltering, and she began to tumble down through the branches. She landed hard on her back, squinting through the pain. Sakura pushed herself up and began to sprint across the forest floor, stumbling. Her chakra was giving out; Sakura mused that she must be more tired than she thought.

The only thing that kept her running as quickly as she could was Kakashi's warning… and a hair thin cut on her neck that burned in the air. No matter how she tried to reason with herself, to hate Itachi as openly as she'd always felt it, there was no denial that she was absolutely terrified of him. So like Sasuke, and yet so unlike him… Sakura blinked back tears of relief as she caught sight of the main entrance to the city of Konoha.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

Itachi unfolded the scroll, looking it over and stopping as the inside met his eyes. It was completely blank. "Kakashi, I'm not here to play games," he stated. He took Kakashi's left arm and before he'd even realized, Itachi had cracked it. Kakashi yelled despite himself as the pain coursed through his body.

"That's it," Kakashi gasped, wiping blood out of his eyes with his mobile arm. Itachi looked over it a second time; the colors of the edges matched those of the seal, and it had been made with ridiculously fine paper, it was practically fabric. Kakashi hadn't been lying.

"You found a holder?" Itachi asked, musing for a moment over the possibility of Kakashi having the information, and then dismissing it. He wouldn't be here now if he did, he was much too cunning. "The girl… I see. So that's why you brought her along," he smirked, looking up. "Let's see who can find the little kunoichi first." He turned and left, rolling up the blank scroll as he left through the trees.

Kakashi took struggled to get up. With any luck, Sakura would be back in Konoha by now, waiting with Tsunade.

Sakura ran through the streets of Konoha, blissfully happy at the familiarity of it all. She began to spin, looking all around her, before stopping herself. She just felt so relieved, she thought she'd never see home again. Konoha was where she belonged, heart and soul. Running down the streets, Sakura thought.

Kakashi had said that he would meet her, but not where, so she decided it would be best to stay at one of her usual haunts. Rounding a corner, Sakura saw Naruto. Stupid, annoying idiot that he was, Sakura cried out in glee and hugged him when she saw him, her eyes watering. "Sakura, what're you doing?" Naruto asked as she clung to him, flushing slightly.

"Where're you going?" Sakura asked, letting go of the boy.

"Ichiraku, want to go get ramen?" Naruto asked, still a little in shock from Sakura's abrupt change in attitude towards him. Sakura nodded gleefully.

"You'll never believe what happened to me today," she smiled as they walked to the ramen bar.

"Here, you can tell me over lunch," Naruto replied. Sakura grinned. It was a good day to be alive.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"It's been six hours and they haven't made contact with the shinobi the Mizukage sent," Tsunade thought out loud, drumming her fingers across the table where she ate lunch, and looking up.

"Anko, get together a search party, three or four ANBU should be good enough," she ordered, thinking for a moment before adding, "We can't be sure who knows about the scroll. It could just be that they were held up, but we don't want to take that chance." Anko nodded, getting up from the seiza position she'd been sitting in and leaving the room. Once in the hallway, she darted out of the door, running through Konoha.

Sakura and Kakashi had left that morning before sunrise. It was a fairly simple mission, but it had been riddled with dangers and doubts from the start. It had been decided that a pair of two shinobi would go, Kakashi and a lower ranking ninja. Perhaps not a particularly safe idea, but it gave valuable experience to younger ninja who otherwise would almost never get to experience the greater forest and land outside of the main city until they were actually sent on a mission out there. Seeing as how easily one could get lost, and plans could fail, an earlier introduction was needed, so it was decided that ninja from 14 to 18 had to go as pages at least 10 times with an older ninja to familiarize themselves with these types of missions and surroundings. In the years before then, it had gone on without many hitches, the secrets of the scrolls passed between the lands kept safe. The only danger was the constant threat that other shinobi would learn of these scrolls, a matter not to be trifled with. Anko narrowed her eyes as she thought it over and turned down one of the streets.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura slurped up a mouthful of miso-flavored ramen, glancing at the door. "Naruto, you haven't seen Kakashi have you?" she asked, looking back at Naruto. Naruto shook his head, swallowing his mouthful of noodles.

"So you're just waiting for him to get back?" he asked. Sakura nodded. "What happened? I heard it was just a delivery mission."

"It was!" Sakura said, "But it all fell apart… I can't remember very well, but we were traveling and we were attacked. Itachi Uchiha came and tried to take the scroll, and Kakashi told me to run and come back." Naruto choked on his noodles, coughing violently as he jumped up from his chair.

"Itachi Uchiha was there?" He exclaimed, gaping at Sakura. "Why didn't you say so sooner?" Sakura's smile fell. "We need to tell Sasuke! Kakashi's still there?" Sakura nodded, unable to keep from feeling a little amused by Naruto's reaction, despite her reawakening fears. Kakashi had gone back… he really was still there with Itachi. Naruto grabbed her hand, pulling Sakura up, and dashing down the streets, guiding her along behind him.

"Naruto, where are we going?" Sakura asked as Naruto drug her along.

"To see Sasuke of course," he answered. "He'll want to know about Itachi." Sakura nodded, following Naruto.

"Sakura!" A voice yelled. Sakura stopped, turning around. "Sakura, where's Kakashi?" Anko asked, running up beside her.

"I don't know, I think he's still in the forest," Sakura said as Anko looked back to a group of ANBU. Sakura's breath began to quicken as her chest felt like it was constricting.

"Keep going, I'll take care of her!" Anko yelled to them, waving the ANBU off. "Sakura, you need to come see Tsunade, we've been looking all over for you." Sakura nodded, looking back to Naruto.

"Go tell Sasuke for me, I'll talk to you later today okay?" Sakura asked. Naruto gave a curt nod, before turning and continuing his dash towards Sasuke's home. "Anko, I can get to the Hokage in a minute, why don't you go with them?" Sakura asked, looking back to the retreating shapes of the masked shinobi.

Anko nodded, obviously in favor of this idea. "You're ok, right? Sakura, get there as fast as you can," Anko ordered. "I'll bring back Kakashi." Sakura turned and ran down the street, as it started to rain. It had been sunny with only hints of cloud for so long earlier that Sakura hadn't thought to bring an umbrella, and her clothes gathered little groups of spots of water that grew larger and wetter every minute. Skidding around a corner, Sakura added a light burst of chakra to her feet to keep them from slipping out from under her on the wet ground on instinct. Sakura fumbled with her footing, her feet faltering and slipping about as her chakra failed her. She lost her balance and fell, skidding across the wet ground, her knees aching. This was the second time today, why wasn't her chakra reacting?

Sakura bent forward on the ground for a moment, sniffing at the tears she held back, before sitting up and moving to get up. She took a hand held out to her by a stranger to help herself on instinct, closing her eyes in the shame that burned her cheeks bright red. She was soaking wet and her face was covered in little patches of dirt, along with the rest of her. Opening her eyes, Sakura looked up to thank the man who'd helped her, but instead took a violent step back, her eyes widening. Itachi Uchiha stepped forward, looking just above her eyes at her headband. Sakura's chest fell up and down violently with her quick, shallow breaths, and it was all that she could do to keep breathing when Itachi stepped up to her, lifting the brim of his hat up to look directly into her eyes. "An average girl, perhaps a bit weak," he noted, his monotone barely audible over the rain.

He reached forward, towards her headband, keeping her eyes glued to his in a trance like state, until his hand had taken hold of her headband. Sakura felt his touch on her head like ice… she felt sickened by it, by being touched, even looked at by the murderer of Sasuke's entire clan… by the man who carelessly and emotionlessly took away any life or future that the boy might once have had. Slapping away his hand, Sakura forced back a scream as she formed several katas and two duplicates of her appeared. They all turned and ran in different directions, and Sakura felt her desperate fear ebbing slightly at the regained use of her chakra. She looked behind herself to check on the progress of her shadow clones, but saw nothing at all. Spinning around, she slid strait into Itachi, who held her by the shoulders, looking down at her with dull, listless eyes.

He untied her headband with one hand, holding her arms immobile behind her back with the other. It fell to the ground with a chink of metal on stone, and Sakura yelled. A second figure came, and Sakura realized that Itachi was not alone. A man with gray, cold skin that looked more like some sort of thick leather, stood beside her. Sakura blinked, and realized that the slits she'd seen on his flesh were some sort of gill like phenomenon, altogether creating a very shark like look.

She breathed in deeply through her nose and tried to stop staring without making much progress, shuddering as he grabbed her shoulder, looking her up and down. Itachi blinked, looking from Sakura to Kisame, his eyes flashing violent red against the rain soaked streets of Konoha.

And then he grabbed a blade out of his Akatsuki cloak and aimed a slice right across Kisame's neck. Sakura ducked when Kisame grabbed her by the waist, already finished with performing katas, and smoke encircled them both in a blinding gaseous explosion.

"Sakura, come with me," he said, grabbing her wrist and sprinting through the town. Sakura was about to argue, when she saw a familiar face. The shark man had become Anko in the pool of smoke, but wherever they were was far enough away from there that Anko had dropped the disguise. Nonetheless, Sakura was scared, and could feel the blood pumping through her veins.

"Sakura, run to Tsunade, don't pause for a moment," Anko whispered. She ran beside Sakura looking behind them cautiously so often. "It'll all be all right, but if worse gets to worse," Anko looked at Sakura, her eyes deep in thought and hesitation. "Sakura, you're only 17, but that's old enough to know. I don't know why they'd want you, but if the Akastuki catch you," her voice quickened as the smoke fell from around them, dissipating into the airy streets, the darkness of the clouds and rain soon to be their only disguise, "…"

"What?" Sakura asked, unable to bear the silence.

"Sakura, the Akastuki are a terrible group of terrible people," Anko muttered, quietly, loathingly. "But they're talented. If worse gets to worse, and there's no hope of rescue left," Anko's voice rose in importance and deepness at this part, "And _only_ if there's nothing left either you or we can do, slit your throat."

Anko turned at that moment, dislodging kunai blades from their holster, and giving Sakura a final strong push on the back towards her destination. Sakura kept running, not looking back as she turned a corner, tears running down her cheeks. It took her a while to notice this, her mind running over the last thing that Anko had told her. She couldn't die… she still had to pass the ANBU test with Naruto and Sasuke, and for God's sake, she was 17! Sakura flew through the doors, running up the stairs and through the doors leading to Tsunade's study, not bothering to take off her shoes or even close them. She'd always known that there was a chance that she would die on a mission, that continually escalated as she worked her way up the ranks of ninja, but… she couldn't help but sigh in utter relief at the sight of Tsunade.

"Sakura?" Tsunade said, looking up and frowning at her disheveled appearance. "Where's Kakashi?" Sakura stood, soaked through, gasping for breath, and covered in dirt. She gasped for breath, and glanced around, trying to figure out a way to try to explain… well, anything. It turned out that she didn't really have to. Tsunade's eyes flew to Sakura's forehead, and she gasped, getting up and walking across the room in a couple of quick, urgent strides.

"Tsunade," Sakura stuttered, before Tsunade grabbed Sakura's shoulder, glaring just above her eyes.

"Sakura, wait here for Kakashi with me," she ordered, looking down into the girl's eyes. "He's got some explaining to do." Sakura nodded slowly. Then she opened her mouth to speak, and finding no words there, closed it. She opened it again as Tsunade led her to a seat next to her own. This time, she found her voice.

"Tsunade, you've got to find Kakashi," She finally managed to blurt out, her mind going back to her sensei in horror. "He stayed behind to distract Itachi while I ran back to Konoha." Tsunade blinked, looking up at the name.

"Uchiha Itachi?" she asked, biting her lip thoughtfully. "Hmm… Anko and a group of ANBU left just a half hour ago, so we'll wait for another half hour or so before sending out another search party." Sakura nodded.

"I met up with Anko," she said, "She protected me from Itachi… but the ANBU had left by the time Itachi showed up." Tsunade nodded.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Itachi stopped, looking around. "Kisame, we're leaving," he said, pausing to wait as Kisame finished undoing the knots around his wrists and ankles. They were good, but loose; Anko hadn't had enough time to be picky. "She'll be with Tsunade by now." Kisame grunted, getting up and nodding in agreement. Then, turning around, they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Moments later, the ANBU came through, two helping Kakashi back, while the other stopped to check Anko's pulse. The one who'd stopped exhaled after a moment, and picked Anko up. Then he or she dashed through the streets, catching up with the others.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura could feel her heart beating, and tried to slow her breathing as she sat beside Tsunade. She was with the Hokage now, she reasoned, Itachi wouldn't try anything. But she couldn't drown out the sound of her heart, no matter how many times she chanted it in her head. "Sakura, it seems we've got news," Tsunade said, patting the girl on the back. Sakura looked up and saw the door open and close, a man in a bird mask walking in.

"Anko is in severe care at the moment, but Kakashi can come in as soon as the medics have finished bandaging him," he relayed.

"Bring him in as soon as you can," Tsunade ordered, "And ask the medics if they need help with Anko, I could use something to keep me busy until Hatake can get here." The ninja nodded. "Sakura, I haven't heard the whole story of what happened yet, but I want Kakashi to tell me, alright? Afterwards, you can add in everything that happened to you." Sakura nodded weakly, her mind numbing over at the knowledge that Kakashi and Anko would be okay. Suddenly she was dead tired… Sakura could feel almost no chakra inside of her chest… and she closed her eyes.

And then Sakura was inside of the infirmary, the familiarity of it all washing over her as she walked through. She'd worked here with Tsunade in her training… it was just as she remembered it. Except as she turned a corner, she saw Anko laying down in one of the beds, cuts lacing her body like fine silk threads. Sakura sat down next to her, suddenly uneasy. "Sakura?" Kakashi asked, walking up beside her and sitting down next to her. His arm was in a sling, but a steady dripping of blood came from somewhere in his chest, and out through the bottom of his coat.

"Kakashi?" Sakura said, "Kakashi, you need to get back to bed, you're not well yet." She then noticed the blood and gasped. She tried to speak, but was cut off.

"Sakura, you know what you've got to do," Kakashi stated, handing her a kunai blade. "Itachi's coming, so you'd better get it over with." Sakura looked at him in confusion, until Kakashi drew a line across his neck, miming a cut across his throat. Sakura got up and ran, away from there, away from the blade, into the whiteness of daylight outside of the hospital, and strait into Itachi.

"Kunoichi," he smirked, a cruel, horrible amusement catching in his eyes. They flashed red, sharingan changing to mangekyou. "How would you like to see my dear little brother as he was at Orochimaru's headquarters?" Sakura was drawn into the deep, blood red eyes of Uchiha Itachi, and felt herself losing a grip on consciousness, when Tsunade started yelling, and Sakura opened her eyes.

"Sakura, are you ok?" she asked, sighing in relief as Sakura glanced around and pushed herself up. "You feel asleep." Sakura wiped sweat off of her forehead, and rubbed her eyes. The door opened, and they both looked up. "Just in time," Tsunade said, almost to herself, glancing at Sakura, who put on a small smile. She couldn't remember what her dream had been about.

Kakashi walked in, limping heavily on his left leg, his right arm in a sling. His hair was more windswept than usual, matted and covered in dried blood that had mixed in with the silver colors. "Sakura," he said happily through gritted teeth. "You made it back."

Sakura felt her tears gathering in her eyes, as she got up, all proper etiquette forgotten as she ran across the room to hug her old sensei. "I'm sorry Kakashi!" she sobbed, unsure of when the tears had first started to spill over, but now unable to stop them. Kakashi patted her on the back with his good arm, whispering soothing things to her until she'd regained control. Sakura sniffed and smiled, taking a step back when she'd finished.

"I've been so worried about you," Sakura admitted, hating herself as she looked him over. "Anko too." Kakashi laughed, ruffling her hair. Sakura gave him another quick hug, a happy one this time, before Tsunade beckoned them over. They sat down and stared at one another, each expecting one of the others to speak. Tsunade was first to snap.

"Kakashi, tell me what happened," she said, "What the hell is that?" She pointed at Sakura, who froze.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice choking.

Tsunade's glare softened into a look of disbelief. "You didn't tell her?"

"Well, if you'd just let me speak, I would be able to tell you, now wouldn't I?"

Tsunade glared at Kakashi, moving to her desk and pulling open a drawer. She fished through it.

"Kakashi, what did I do wrong?" Sakura asked, horrified. Maybe they'd decided that she wasn't good enough to try out for ANBU… what mistake had she made? Being taken hostage?

"You didn't do anything wrong," Kakashi reassured her. "In fact, you acted perfectly; I'm glad that it had been you and not Sasuke."

"Why?" Sakura asked. Sasuke was much more skilled than she was, he might have been able to actually help Kakashi…

"Well, both Naruto and Sasuke act off of personal emotion," Kakashi explained, "But sometimes, in difficult situations, you need to be able to follow directions without question, which you realized and were able to do. That's one of the reasons, we made it out of there with minimal damage" Sakura gaped, about to contradict the statement 'minimal damage', when Tsunade plopped down next to her and held up a mirror about as large as a sheet of paper but oval.

Plastered on the center of Sakura's forehead was, in black ink, the symbol 'chi'. Sakura took the mirror, turning it to get a better look. The rain had smudged the ink, and it ran down her cheeks like black tears. Sakura took the back of her hand and rubbed the remaining ink off, gaping at what was underneath. "What the hell's going on?" she asked, looking up, tears coming to her eyes. Underneath the cover of the ink, the symbol for heaven had been burned onto her skin, red and irritated.

"Right, this is where it gets a bit awkward," Kakashi said, looking from the angry face of Tsunade to the grieving face of Sakura. It was a lose-lose situation in all senses of the phrase.

"I felt we might be being followed the entire time, and stopped us when I was sure of it," Kakashi began, "And then Itachi showed himself and captured Sakura. I slipped the seal off of the scroll and put it on a blank one, along with the string that circled it. He demanded a trade, and I gave him the decoy, which gave us a few minutes to get out of there.

"Once we'd gotten a ways away, I knew I had to do something with the scroll, it was no longer under my control without the seal, so I showed it to Sakura," he stopped to gesture towards the mark on Sakura's brow, "And stayed behind to try and keep back Itachi until she could get to you." Tsunade nodded, her anger somewhat subdued.

"It was one of the only things that you could do, I can understand Hatake," Tsunade said, frowning, "But I don't approve. It's not her fault, but Sakura's going to pay for this." Kakashi nodded, looking to her.

"I don't get it, what is this thing?" Sakura asked, tapping the mark.

"A binding," Kakashi said. "To keep the secrets of the scroll locked away. It may not make much sense to you now, but you're… a holder, you could say, of the information that it had. It's complicated, most scrolls can't do that, but we were lucky."

"I don't even remember it though," Sakura said, feeling more forlorn every moment.

"Well, it'll take some work to recover the information, but we can discuss that later," Tsunade said. "I'm afraid we have more pressing matters. Itachi will be back to try and capture Sakura, protection or no protection… but if they could simply hold him off until Sakura could get a message to me, that might work."

"It'll have to be at least four ANBU, who can you spare?" Kakashi asked. "I could watch her." Sakura looked from one to another. She felt a whirlwind of emotions rising up in her, boiling just beneath her skin. She wasn't sure whether to scream at them or start crying again.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" she burst out. "I'm 17, don't I get a say in anything?" There was silence in the air after this outburst, but Sakura's heart hurt too much for her to care.

"Sorry Sakura," Kakashi said, first to speak. "We shouldn't have excluded you. What do you want to do? You've caught the Akatsuki's eye, and without protection, if they come to try and capture you, there's no hope."

"Sakura, you have to understand that this isn't just about you anymore," Tsunade warned. "That scroll is one of a set of several, centering on information that is kept secret and known by only the leaders of the countries and a select few shinobi; it's something that the Akatsuki would love to get."

"Tsunade," Sakura began, and then stopped. She didn't know what she wanted… she wanted Kakashi and Anko to get better… she wanted to go to her apartment and lay in bed… most of all she didn't want the guilt. The nagging sensation that she could be sending her fellow shinobi to their graves by simply existing and needing protection. "Tsunade, I don't want a guard. Can't you teach me how to evade ninja? How to hide and send messages with animals and walk without making noise?"

"Sakura, it's out of the question," Tsunade said, "There's no time… and it's simply too risky, can't you see?"

"Don't decide too quickly Tsunade, what if I said I could teach those things, though only on a very low extent? Sakura, could you give me a valid reason to keep ANBU from following you everywhere you go?" Kakashi interrupted. Sakura bit her lip, pushing back tears; now of all times she had to be strong.

"I don't want to have to keep relying on others," she began, hardening her expression. "I'll be ANBU soon, I need to be able to take care of myself. After what happened to Anko… I don't want anyone else to have to do that, I can protect myself if I learn how." Kakashi nodded, smiling.

"Well Tsunade? She could spend the night with me if it makes you feel any better, and I can start teaching her tomorrow," he reasoned, delighted in the excruciating look that Tsunade had adorned. She was torn by the prospect of Sakura's happiness and growth, and her desperate need to protect the girl, even if just a little bit. Kakashi pondered this; Sakura was no longer a girl. She'd seen Sasuke return, she'd grown in strength and skill, and she was smart; sometimes too smart for her own good. Yes, the little innocent Sakura that Kakashi had once known had grown into a smart young woman, though still rather innocent despite it all.

"Kakashi, this goes against my better judgment, but I'll allow it," Tsunade finally said, her forehead wrinkled in worry, a seldom seen sign of her true age. She raised an eyebrow at him as she thought over the second point. "I'd rather she stayed with me tonight though, we'll see about later." Kakashi nodded, and got up.

"Kakashi, where are you going?" Sakura asked, unready for his departure.

"Back to the hospital," Kakashi said, "Don't worry, soon as they stitch me back up I'll start teaching you. Tomorrow at 10 o' clock in the morning." Sakura nodded, smiling despite herself. She'd always relied on someone… Sasuke, Naruto, Tsunade, or the ANBU of Konoha. Sakura was ready for change, and she followed Tsunade through the hallways that lead to her room, momentarily forgetting all of her problems in her determination. She wouldn't let Kakashi or Anko get hurt again for her sake. For a blissful couple of hours, she felt the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders.

"That Kakashi," Tsunade frowned, a smile working its way across her lips. "He's too good to you, be sure to thank him." Sakura nodded, smiling and blushing slightly.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Itachi, when'll we go back?" Kisame asked, leaning on his Samehada. Itachi looked over at him, his eyes glazed over in thought, showing nothing.

"Day after tomorrow," he answered, blinking away the thoughtfulness in his eyes. Kisame nodded, turning and leaving.

"We'll give the kunoichi a head start," Itachi mused, heading the other direction. Kisame shivered as he tried to imagine Itachi's expression at that moment, and decided that he was quite happy that he couldn't see it. Despite their long standing partnership, Kisame would never fully get used to Itachi.

A/N This was lots of fun to type... please tell me how I can improve, and in my turn I will do my best!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I finished this chapter a while ago, but only today, after going over it for the umpteenth time am I happy enough with it to post it. It's been haunting me… and despite some of my best efforts, some of the characters are undoubtedly still a bit out of character. And yet, I'm happy with it, so here you go.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Sakura rolled out the futon that Tsunade had given her for the night and sat down on it. Tsunade was only one door down… but Sakura's elated mood had passed. She picked up a mirror from her bag, looking at herself. She rubbed the mark on her forehead, but it only darkened as the burn became prickly and red. Sakura sighed.

She got up and walked through the door to her room and down the hallway through the door to the bathroom. She closed the door and stripped off her dirt-encrusted clothes, happy to be rid of the greater amount of the smell of sweat. They peeled off easily, and Sakura sat down on the stool next to the mirror, quickly turning on the hot water. It filled the basin at her feet, which she picked up and dumped over her head. Sakura worked shampoo and then conditioner into her pink hair, scrubbing herself clean from dirt and grime as she did so, and then rinsed off. Then, when she'd washed off the soap and hair products, she got up and took off the bathtub's cover. Steam billowed out of the small round bath, and Sakura eased herself into the hot water, sighing in pleasure.

She stared at the ceiling as she sat down in the tub, thoughts passing through her head like the steam that caressed her cheeks. Sakura only stopped this meditation at the sudden noise of the door opening. She yelped, ducking into the water all of the way up to her eyes in a feeble attempt to cover herself. "Sakura?" Tsunade said in surprise, looking over to the girl after she'd closed the door. "That's right, you always used to take baths in the evening," she smiled, "Hope you don't mind some company."

Sakura smiled, sitting back up in relief. "Is there room?" Sakura asked as Tsunade pulled off her clothing and folded it in a neat pile next to Sakura's.

"Of course," Tsunade replied, sitting down and undoing her hair ties. "Remember? After working all day in the hospital we used to bath together. That was the highlight of the day, simply getting to relax and talk." Sakura thought back, remembering her first weeks of working as Tsunade's apprentice. She smiled at the thought; those days had been difficult, but fun and rewarding as well.

"Tsunade, how's Anko?" Sakura asked, thinking back on the events of the day. Tsunade dumped water over herself, shivering in the following cool air. Then, quickly she got up and came to the bathtub. Sakura moved to one side to make room for her.

"After I brought you to your room, I went to go see her," Tsunade said as she squeezed into the tub beside Sakura, taking up a spot behind her. Sakura leaned back, resting her head on Tsunade's chest just like she used to. It made Tsunade smile at the memories before continuing. "She's got some cracked ribs, but give her a few weeks in the hospital if there are no complications, and she'll be fine. We can go and help tomorrow if you want."

"Tsunade…" Sakura said, stopping. Her breath caught in her throat and Sakura frowned.

"Here, lean forward," Tsunade said. "You're back has been bruised up pretty badly." Sakura leaned forward, folding her arms and laying her head on them on the side of the tub. Tsunade rubbed her back soothingly and began manipulating chakra through her fingertips. Sakura's back ached from the fall she'd had earlier, but she didn't complain.

"Tsunade," Sakura said, "If the Akatsuki capture me should I kill myself?" Silent tears began to fall from Sakura's eyes when she finished saying this, and she wiped them away; they stopped after the first three or four. Tsunade sent a final pulse of chakra through the girl, before cutting off the flow and wrapping her arms around Sakura. She pulled her back, holding her in a tight hug to her chest.

"What brought this up?" Tsunade asked, stroking Sakura's hair. It still wasn't as long as it had been when she was younger, but it was getting close.

"If the Akatsuki capture me and there isn't any hope to escape," Sakura choked out, sobs wracking her body. Tsunade held her until she'd stopped.

"Sakura, that's a decision you'll have to make for yourself," Tsunade said, "If they do capture you, we'll always look for you, but if there truly is no hope left then yes, you should be ready to take your life."

Sakura choked back a sob and wiped snot from her nose. She nodded slightly, more tears coming down her face. "Don't worry Sakura!" Tsunade said, in slight surprise. "I'll come looking for you myself if it gets to that." Sakura smiled, laughing through her tears. Tsunade picked up a washcloth and wrung it out, before using it to wipe away the tears from Sakura's face. "Things shouldn't get that bad, just wait for us to get there," Tsunade smiled, "Anyhow, this is all assuming that the Akatsuki actually capture you. Chances are that with Kakashi's help, they won't. Or at least they'll have a hell of a time doing it."

"I can't wait to see Sasuke and Naruto," Sakura admitted. She rubbed her eyes, smiling. "Naruto is probably telling Sasuke about my seeing Itachi right now. They'll want to help me with my training."

"Sakura," Tsunade said, losing her smile, "You can't tell Sasuke or Naruto about this." Sakura lifted her head from Tsunade's breast, looking her in the eyes.

"Why not?" she asked, her spirits dropping.

"Sakura, Sasuke has already demonstrated that he's still loyal to Konoha and has been welcomed back, but Itachi… is a subject best avoided around him," Tsunade said uncomfortably. "And if you told Naruto about it, he would tell Sasuke without a doubt."

"Tsunade, Itachi's his brother," Sakura countered. "Sasuke is always listening for any information on him." Tsunade frowned.

"Sakura, let's talk about this in the morning, I'm too tired now," Tsunade said, stretching her arms. "Now isn't the time or place." Sakura nodded hesitantly, noticing her own weariness.

"I never noticed how cramped it was in this tub," Sakura mused, looking for a more lighthearted change of subject in her nervousness.

"I know," Tsunade agreed, "You've had a growth spurt, there's barely any room for us both. Plus, you're not an A-cup anymore, are you?" Sakura flushed.

"Come on, how big are they?" Tsunade laughed, grabbing Sakura's chest from behind. "B-cup?"

"Tsunade!" Sakura yelled, pushing her away and laughing. Frothy water spilled everywhere, soaking their clothes across the room.

"Come on, I need to get to bed," Tsunade said after another few minutes, getting up. Sakura followed suit, her mood much better. They secured towels around themselves, and, having picked up their soaking wet clothes, went back to their respective rooms.

Sakura laid down on her futon and pulled the comforter up, the heat from the bath warming the blankets. She felt much more relaxed; worried, but at peace. For the first time that night, things seemed like they would turn out all right. This comfort led Sakura into the dark, silent world of sleep.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

When Sakura woke up it took her a moment to remember where she was. On impulse she rubbed her forehead and picked up the mirror by her bedside. The mark was still hot to the touch; Sakura vaguely wondered why it hadn't formed into scar tissue. She got up, shivering in the cool morning air, and got dressed in her casual clothes; Tsunade had had them cleaned and set out for her.

Sakura fell back into her usual pace as the confusion passed, and she walked down to the dining room, taking up a seat next to Tsunade. "Tsunade," Sakura said, picking up her bowl of miso soup, "When do you think Kakashi will be here?" Tsunade looked up from a letter that she was reading, her expression softening as she noticed Sakura.

"He's already here," she replied, gesturing to the doorway to the kitchen. Sakura blanched.

"He's on time?" she asked, dropping her spoon as the shock of the whole, ridiculous situation settled in. "I thought that I had at least another hour!"

Tsunade smiled to herself, gulping down the rest of her soup. "I asked him to, I think I finally managed to convince him that this was more important than getting to the next chapter of his latest Icha Icha Paradise book." Sakura nodded, reddening slightly at the mention of the book. None of Team Seven had ever dared ask about it, but Sakura felt that she had a pretty good idea of the sort of stuff that the series contained. She looked back down to her food, avoiding eyesight with Tsunade for a moment.

Tsunade laughed, noticing Sakura's reaction, and on the verge of prying open the subject of the book, when one of the side doorways slid open and Kakashi walked in. "Speak of the devil," Tsunade mused quietly, as Kakashi took up a seat beside her and across from Sakura.

"Tsunade, the room you suggested would be perfect," he said, deciding to ignore her last comment.

"Oh? I thought it would, I think we've got about three of them," Tsunade replied, munching on a piece of bread. Sakura ate a sticky cluster of rice, watching the two shinobi in front of her conversed over her fate. It all felt foreign, and strange.

"Kakashi, I've got something I'd like to speak to you about later today, come and find me when you're done with your lesson," Tsunade said, glancing towards Sakura. Kakashi nodded, looking over at her as well.

"Sakura, are you ready?" he asked her. Sakura nodded and scraped the last of her rice out of its bowl and into her mouth. Then she picked up a piece of bread, got up, and followed Kakashi out of the room. Sakura nibbled at the bread, tearing off strips of it and devouring them as they passed through the hallways of the building. She looked around everywhere they went, laying out the pathway in her mind; she'd never been this way before. Finally, Kakashi stopped in the middle of the hall. Then, turning to a doorway leading to a closet for keeping futons, he slid it open and stepped inside. "We're here."

Sakura followed him inside awkwardly. It took her a moment to realize that it was a fairly large empty room. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around.

"Your new room," Kakashi answered.

"But my other room is right next to Tsunade's, how much safer could I be?" Sakura asked, looking back to Kakashi. She looked around; he wasn't there. "Kakashi?" She glanced around the room anxiously, calling his name out a second time.

Sakura jumped up as Kakashi reappeared behind her, crouching to catch himself as he dropped from the ceiling. He stood up and dusted himself off. "That's why." Sakura frowned. "This room is full of hiding places," he explained, "Itachi can use his sharingan eye to see through ninja illusions, but unlike the Hyuga clan, he can't see through solid objects. So, I've set you a task; look around a bit, and when I come back in half of an hour I'd better not find you." Sakura nodded, smiling as she looked around the room. "I'll see you then; good luck," Kakashi said, smiling encouragingly and leaving. The sliding door gave a resounding clack as it shut, and Sakura was suddenly aware that her time had just begun ticking.

Sakura looked around, starting at the ceiling; the only place Kakashi could have hid there was the hole in the corner for ventilation. She walked up the wall and stuck her head into it to look around. Small as it was in the opening, it spread out and Sakura found that she could squeeze through and sit down quite comfortably. It was small, but it led away in the true fashion of ventilation, so Sakura assumed that it had been made for both purposes. She got on her hands and knees and started crawling down it for a ways, but eventually had to stop for lack of space.

She worked her way back, dropping out of the ceiling and onto the comparatively soft tatami floors. Sakura glanced around nervously, wondering how much time she'd spent in the ceiling, before setting back to work. She found a closet for futons, and after much searching through the piles of bedding, found a small doorway at the very back, hidden by the mass of fabric. Sakura jumped as she heard the door open, and realized that her time must be up. She opened the door and scrambled to get into the space, praying that the futons would hide her. She kept the door cracked open, watching.

Itachi stepped in, glancing around; his red eyes cut through the dark with depressing ease, and Sakura could feel her body seizing up with fear. Itachi closed his eyes for a minute or so, listening. Then they snapped open and he looked across the room, his eyes stopping on the ajar doorway to the futon closet.

He walked over, pulling it open and digging through the futons. Sakura held her breath, trying to silently close the slit in the doorway that exposed her, but she realized the moment she shut it that she was too late. The lock jangled almost inaudibly as it shut, and before she could close her eyes, Sakura felt herself being pulled out of the space by the front of her shirt. Sakura opened her mouth to scream, but her breath caught in her throat as she was pulled through the bedding and brought face to face with Itachi, literally inches away. She could feel his hot breath on her as he looked down at her, and tears welled up in her eyes. "You failed," he said, a poof of smoke exploding and encircling them as Kakashi appeared.

Sakura stared; she was dumbfounded at the realization that it had been Kakashi in disguise. She tried to blink back the tears that had gathered in her eyes, but they were brimming over, and she found herself crying despite herself. Kakashi was taken aback. "Sakura, it's alright, it's only me," he said, trying to comfort her. He hugged her, rubbing her back as she cried silently and eventually began to laugh.

"Sorry," She said, letting go of his waist, "I was just so scared there." She didn't mention the humiliation that tinged her cheeks red, but Kakashi seemed to be able to see through her.

"Sakura," he said, "you need to be prepared, and dealing with Itachi and staying calm is part of that. You made a few mistakes, how did you spend your time?" Sakura hugged him again silently, enjoying the brief warmth of physical contact, before stepping back, her face red with embarrassment.

"I went into the vent," she said, pointing to the hole in the ceiling's corner, "I traveled down it for a while, then had to come back out because it got too small." Sakura opted to skip over the part where she'd gotten stuck, and went on. "Then I started looking through the closet, and had just found the door in the back when you came in." Kakashi nodded.

"That's not bad," he said, looking around the room. "A good start, we'll work our way on from there."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura flipped out of her bed as she heard the gentle squeaking of the Nightingale floorboards outside her room. She sprung to her feet and ran silently through the closet to the futons, diving in and shutting the door as her bedroom door opened. She swam through the masses of futons to the back, opening the door and crawling in. She shut it and stopped to catch her breath; the excitement and sudden movement had her working hard to keep her breathing silent. She heard the slightest brush of cloth on tatami, perhaps a sock or sleeve, and she began to crawl down the minuscule pathway to another tiny door. She slid it back and worked her way into the closet on the opposite side of the room; she hadn't hidden there yet.

The door to the closet was flung open and Itachi reached in, grabbing Sakura by a great mass of her hair in less than a second. He dragged her up and out of the closet, looking down at her, before letting his disguise fall. Kakashi let go of Sakura's hair and patted her on the head apologetically. "You'll have to do better than that," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Isn't there anything else you can teach me?" Sakura asked desperately, rubbing her sore head.

"Well, yes," Kakashi replied, "But because we're excluding ninjutsu and illusions, it'll take a lot more work, and you'll have fewer options. Itachi could see through anything else, so that would just be a waste of effort; for now, memorizing the layout of the room is the most helpful thing we can work on. We're out of time for today, but I'll be here same time tomorrow, alright?"

Sakura nodded, feeling slightly disheartened. "You're getting better," Kakashi assured her, "It'll just take some more work." Sakura smiled and followed Kakashi out of the door and back through the hallways of the building.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked, walking alongside Kakashi.

"I need to see Tsunade," Kakashi replied, "what about you, Sakura?"

"I want to go and help with Anko in the hospital," Sakura said. "Then I'm going to go visit Sasuke and Naruto." Kakashi stopped walking, waiting for Sakura to follow suit, as she inevitably did. "What is it Kakashi?" she asked.

"Sakura, you can't breathe a word of this to either of them," Kakashi said. "Tsunade warned you about this didn't she?"

"Yeah, I know, but I thought that if I just made sure that they didn't tell anyone else it would be alright," Sakura said quietly.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, "Sasuke can't know about this, no matter what. He's worked off his debt to the country and has been reaccepted as a citizen with few extra precautions, but he's dangerous. Especially to you."

"But why?" Sakura asked, her voice catching in her throat. "Why can't I talk to my friends? You just said so, he's been accepted back!"

"Sakura, this isn't pleasant so I'll get it over quickly," Kakashi sighed, uncharacteristically serious. "Sasuke has an obsession with the idea of killing his brother, and he will do anything to achieve it. If he finds out that you are an object of interest for the Akatsuki and for Itachi especially, he won't hesitate to manipulate you to his advantage. He would put you in danger to lure out Itachi."

Sakura choked back a sob. "He wouldn't use me as bait," she said, tears gathering in her eyes, "We're team 7, we all look out for each other, even stupid Naruto!" Kakashi frowned at the name-calling, but said nothing about it.

"Sakura, Sasuke is who he always has been," Kakashi said, his voice cold and clear. "Compared to Itachi, you're nothing to him." Sakura turned away from Kakashi and walked out of a door to the outside. Then, after shutting it, she began to run, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

She didn't know why, but she was suddenly scarred. A simple blind fear, with no seeable cause and one simple effect; Sakura had to keep running.

"Damn it," Kakashi said to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. Sakura was too emotional, and it was making her less predictable and rational. Tsunade would have to wait.

Sakura stopped running after a few minutes to actually look at where she was. She was quite a ways away from Naruto's apartment, but not far from Ichiraku; she would go and see him there. Right now, she needed that goofy grin and a tight Naruto hug more than anything else. She would decide what to tell him when she got there. Sakura started walking down the street and turned a corner, rubbing the mark on her forehead. She blinked in surprise; she'd been so busy she'd forgotten that her whole story had been burned onto her like a neon sign. Sakura had no more time to spend wondering what to do about this, because just as she rounded the street corner and Ichiraku came into sight, so did Kakashi.

Sakura yelped at his sudden appearance, but was really taken aback at his expression. Kakashi grabbed her arm and spun her around and she impulsively followed his lead. "Kakashi," Sakura began to say, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"What were you thinking Sakura?" he asked, cutting her off. His uncovered eye was dark, and lacking its usual humor. "Here." He stopped and untied his headband, retying it across Sakura's forehead. "Where's yours?"

"…I lost it," Sakura replied, avoiding eye contact.

Kakashi shook his head exasperatedly, taking her arm and beginning their quick walk again. "Sakura, don't run off like that again," he said, "You need to stop treating this like some sort of game; this is life Sakura. If you make a little mistake in dealing with the Akatsuki, you're dead."

"But Naruto wouldn't tell Sasuke if I asked him to," Sakura pleaded, twisting her arm in Kakashi's grip to try and free it. "I know he wouldn't!"

"Sakura, he would. You all look out for each other, right? How could Naruto stand to keep something this important from Sasuke?" Kakashi lectured sternly.

"Can't I even see them?" Sakura asked, her brow furrowed. "I just want to talk to them about it so badly." She was suddenly quiet as she said this, annoyed at her own stubbornness. Kakashi had been right, and she'd been an idiot to have not realized it herself. But that just made it that much more painful. The continued walking, and Sakura no longer struggled with Kakashi. It was dark by the time they got back, and Sakura felt tired and sad at the prospect of the soon to come lecture from Tsunade. She glanced at Kakashi, who'd stopped. They stood for a while in front of the building, and Sakura wiped her cheeks again, though she'd stopped crying quite a while ago.

Kakashi, who'd walked off his anger, did not like the idea of going to see Tsunade and explain why he was so late either. He looked at the girl to his left, and let go of her arm. Sakura was slightly surprised at this, but followed Kakashi to a patch of grass to sit down on. Sakura leaned on Kakashi, who in turn put his arm around her.

"You can talk to them," Kakashi said after a long gap of silence. "Just not for a while. There's too much going on right now." Sakura nodded.

"It's just," Sakura paused, working to contain her emotions, "I'm just so scarred." Kakashi pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. Sakura felt isolated from the rest of Konoha, someone dirty to be locked away from the rest of the population. The loneliness was almost as painful and frightening as the prospect of the Akatsuki catching her.

"Everything's going to be ok," Kakashi whispered, patting Sakura on the back and rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to get her to relax. Sakura sobbed and hiccupped until she had no more tears to cry. Even after that, she didn't stop hugging Kakashi, and her shoulders continued to shake. Kakashi took Sakura and pulled her back from him, so that she sat in front of him, her eyes wet and red. Her skin could have been white in the moonlight.

Kakashi gently pulled the hair out of Sakura's eyes, brushing away the wet trails her tears had left on her hot cheeks at the same time. Sakura flushed, looking away from him in shame and embarrassment at the intimate gesture. "Sakura, there will always be people here who care about you," Kakashi assured her. "Naruto and Sasuke do, and because of that they can manage to wait a while to see you again." Sakura nodded, her face red even in the bleached light of the moon. Kakashi got up, holding his hand out to her. Sakura took it and pulled herself up, and then she followed Kakashi inside.

"Kakashi, your arm is still broken," she noticed. "Why didn't you go back to the hospital?"

"Tsunade found time to fix my ankle, but all of the best medics are looking after Anko, so I decided to give them a break; it'll begin healing on its own and will much easier to heal in a few days," Kakashi explained, holding his arm awkwardly at his side. Sakura frowned and stopped walking. She picked it up and spread her fingers across it, their tips gently resting on his skin. She slowly spread a flow of chakra through them, twisting it around the bones and muscles in Kakashi's arm, beginning the meticulous act of restringing together the broken bone. She was about halfway through with it after a minute or two, but felt herself faltering. Sakura let go of her chakra flow, pulling back and panting for breath.

"I could only begin the healing," Sakura said, catching her breath. "Sorry, but I'm out of chakra."

"Thank you Sakura," Kakashi said, flexing his arm for a moment, but letting it fall back to his side a second later as the pain hit him. He smiled at her and they continued walking.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"You're late," Tsunade noted as Kakashi walked into her study. "And Sakura never came to the hospital today. Coincidence?" Kakashi leaned up against the wall.

"We ran into some… trouble," Kakashi explained.

"How is Sakura's training going?" Tsunade asked, cutting strait to the chase.

"As well as can be expected," Kakashi sighed. "If she were just a bit more experienced…"

"But she isn't," Tsunade concluded, "And her being captured isn't acceptable, we have to undo the seal and regain the information as soon as we can. I've been trying to find out how, you wouldn't happen to know would you?"

"I can apply the seal, but I'm not one of the breakers," Kakashi answered.

"I've never seen that technique used on someone that young before. Anyhow, while I research that, how many Anbu would you say are needed for her?" Tsunade continued, worry lines forming on her forehead.

"With Akatsuki involved?" Kakashi asked. "I'd say four at night, three during the day. Are you sure about this? She's putting in a lot of effort, and she's put herself where almost no others would. She would have to care a lot to do that." Kakashi thought back on Sakura's frustration at Sasuke and Naruto's need to protect her. The look she'd get whenever she had needed to stay behind during a mission to simply watch, as her friends were hurt in the act of keeping her safe.

"We'll make it three at night and two during the day," Tsunade concluded. "We simply need enough shinobi to offer her a chance to escape, and with all that's going on right now, we can't spare any others." Kakashi nodded, his unanswered question hanging in the air. "Kakashi, I can't let her go on without protection, she's lucky she's even allowed to leave and you know that."

"You can't keep her locked away from Naruto and Sasuke for long; they've already come looking for her once."

"I don't like this anymore than you do," Tsunade said loudly, "But I have no choice. What are you going to do? Watch her every moment of every day? I know that she was your student, but she was mine as well, so don't think that I'm not feeling bad about this!" Tsunade's expression softened into a partially hidden frown as she sat back down. Kakashi turned to leave and was halfway out of the door before Tsunade spoke. "Please, don't tell her."

"I had no plans to," Kakashi replied, and left.

Tsunade dropped her head onto her desk, and sat like that for a minute or two after Kakashi had gone; she didn't feel like even lifting her head. But she got up and called Shizune a minute later, only stopping to take a moment to wipe her eyes.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura lay down in her new bed that night wishing that Tsunade had been there to share a bath with her. She hadn't seen her all day. But, like any other night, the day's work and all of the emotions and stress soon had Sakura deep asleep, despite her wish to stay up and think.

Sakura woke up the next morning, feeling strange. She opened her eyes wearily, and looked around, sitting up. "What time is it?" she asked, blinking in confusion at Kakashi, the bright morning light burning her tired eyes. Kakashi looked up from his book, putting it down. He was leaning against the wall of the room.

"About noon," Kakashi said, "You've got a fever." Sakura felt her forehead, surprised at the heat.

"Everything feels so tired and sore," Sakura noted, getting up. She sat back down tiredly after a minute or two, blinking in dull acknowledgement. "Kakashi, where's Tsunade?"

"She's with Anko right now," Kakashi said, "She'll come by later. You should lay down and gets some rest Sakura." Sakura nodded, lying down. Part of her wanted to get back up and fight her way through another day of training, but she was dead tired, and her feverish body drowned out the rebellious voice inside of her with a much more demanding voice of its own. She curled up underneath the covers; cold shivers ran up her spine every time she shifted and let in cool air. Then Sakura fell back into a fitful sleep. Kakashi picked back up his book and sat down. It wasn't the most exciting job in the world, but both sharing a room with Sakura and doing nothing for a whole day were two things that suited Kakashi just fine.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Kakashi?" Sakura asked, hiccupping and wiping sweat from her brow. Kakashi dog eared a page in his book and set it down, nodding in acknowledgement. It was sometime around 4 in the afternoon. "Can I get some lunch?"

"Sure, I'll be back in a minute," Kakashi said, getting up and stretching his sore limbs lazily. He walked to the kitchens, and carried back a tray of food, forcing him to have to slide open the door with his foot. Kakashi set it all down next to Sakura, and was about to sit down in his previous spot when they both heard a nearby door being slammed open close by. An Anbu agent stopped in the open doorway, turning to Kakashi.

"Itachi has been seen on the outskirts of Konoha, we don't know where he is now," he relayed quickly. He wore a bird mask.

"How long ago?" Kakashi asked, taking a step back towards Sakura.

"It's been at least ten minutes."

"Tell Tsunade to look for us," Kakashi said, "It seems that there's no time for us to go to her. I'll send a message." The birdman nodded and left as quickly and quietly as he'd come. Kakashi flipped around to Sakura, moving with speed and purpose. "Sakura, I need you to stay awake for as long as you can," he said, "I can't carry you with my broken arm and we're running out of time, so I need you to find your way out on your own alright?" Sakura nodded awkwardly, her vision sharpening. "I'll find you, wait outside."

"Kakashi," Sakura spoke quietly, her voice lost in all of the hazy sleep of the day. She rubbed her eyes and fought to try and reawaken her senses. "What… what about-" Kakashi cut her off, covering her mouth with his hand. He let go of her and flipped up one of the tatami mats next to her bed. Sakura looked into it sheepishly, trying to take in the situation as she stared into the gap in the floor that lead into a small tunnel.

"Wait for me and hide," Kakashi restated quietly as he could. There was the creak just down the hallway; the Nightingale floorboards were earning their keep. Kakashi scooped Sakura into the hollow as best he could with one arm (handing her a kunai blade in the process), replaced the tatami, and pushed the futon over it. Just as the door was flicked open, he managed to slip under the covers of the bed, taking up the guise of the girl he'd just hidden.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Kisame frowned as he walked into the room, looking around. Itachi would be there in another minute or so after he was done with the ANBU, but he was anxious to leave; it was tempting fate to simply be there. He found the girl in bed, muttering in her sleep. Kisame strode forward, his Samihada ready just in case. As he came to the side of the bed, Sakura's eyes shot open and she leap up, throwing the blankets in Kisame's face. Kisame tore through them with the Samihada, slashing it inches away from Sakura's face in the process. Kakashi's chakra slipped for that moment and he abandoned his disguise, leaping back to avoid the blade and landing heavily on his broken arm. An audible crack echoed through the room as the bit of bone and sinew that Sakura had managed to repair snapped under the strain.

Kakashi slid across the floor, his arm hanging by his side painfully. He lifted it up, grimacing as he forced his hands into a kata. There was an explosion of smoke, and where he'd stood, there were ten Kakashi's, who all made runs for different exits. Kisame swore and began to swing the Samihada through as many as he could before they disappeared. "Two can play at that game," he growled, quickly forming a few katas. His clones split up, finding and destroying as many of Kakashi's clones as they could in a desperate search for the real one.

Kakashi himself sat in the vent, checking his arm. It wouldn't function for much longer, and was painful and bruised to the touch. He got on his hands and knees and began crawling down the maze of the ceiling. He guessed that with nine clones, he'd have at least a good five-minute head start.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura was already nearing the outside. She worked her way through the tunnel, awake, but tired and sore. She wiped the sweat from her feverish head, wishing that she'd had time to change out of her pajamas. The nightgown stuck to her skin uncomfortable, and Sakura had ripped the hem a while back.

Sakura finally reached a small door; she fumbled with the lock for a minute or two, and then slid it open. A gust of cool air blew in her face, and Sakura slipped outside into the cool, wet grass. She closed the door, realizing that it was hidden in the side of the building. Sakura got up, the fresh air making her head pulse. She felt so dizzy in the sudden sunlight…

"Sakura?" A familiar voice came to her. Sakura looked to her side, stumbling. Naruto ran up, putting her arm around him for support. "Sakura! Where have you been?" he asked anxiously. "You're burning up, Sakura, you need to get to bed!" He took his hand off of her forehead, taken by surprise by the deep red mark residing there; Sakura had given Kakashi back his headband the night before. "Sakura," he started, about to ask a question. Sakura stopped him.

"Naruto, I need you to help me hide," she mumbled quietly, her voice dry and weak. "Please, find me a place to hide… and go look for Kakashi." Naruto nodded, picking Sakura up and beginning to run down through Konoha. He thought desperately, barely keeping his many questions at bay.

"Sakura," he finally said, "I'm going to take you to my apartment alright?" He asked, unlocking the door. Sakura nodded weakly as Naruto set her down, and swayed down through the doorway and into the room. She flopped onto Naruto's bed unceremoniously, feeling tremendously thankful at the soft touch of blankets, even in a western style bed. Naruto pulled the covers over her reluctantly. "Sakura, I should stay here with you," he said. Sakura looked up blearily.

"Naruto, I need Kakashi, please," she said sleepily. Naruto slowly nodded and gave Sakura one last look, before locking the door and beginning to run; he had to find Kakashi and find out what was going on.

Sakura lay in that bed for what felt like hours without sleep. She was horribly tired, but still rolled about uncomfortably. Sakura had lost track of the passing time when she saw the briefest of shadows flit across the window. Sakura looked over, sitting up. She ached all over, but Sakura knew that it hadn't been her imagination. She took the kunai blade that Kakashi had given her and rolled to the side of the bed. She got up, sliding beneath it. The floor was horribly dusty and dirty, but Sakura forced herself into a corner, sneezing once, then twice, as the dust bunnies began to gather on her clothes.

Somewhere in the apartment a window opened and closed. Sakura worked to keep as aware of everything as she could; her heart beat quickly as adrenaline filled her system, fighting off the fatigue of disease. She held her breath as she heard footsteps, and closed her eyes. Sakura didn't dare make a sound as she heard them pause next to the bed. She let her eyes fall open and saw the very bottom of a black cloak. Sakura couldn't hold her breath for much longer, and she felt something rising in her throat. Sakura swallowed the bubble back down, until it finally made it's way to her lips. Sakura hiccupped.

"Oh kunoichi, you were doing so well," Itachi said, leaning down and looking beneath the bed. A fleeting smirk graced his lips. "You almost had me fooled." Sakura stared at the floor, remembering Kakashi's words. _Don't make eye contact._ Itachi reached out faster than Sakura could follow and drug her out from under the bed by her arm. She grabbed the kunai blade Kakashi had given her and aimed at Itachi's chest.

"Not quick enough," Itachi said, stopping her hand just before it struck and forcing it open. The kunai blade fell to the floor. Sakura hiccupped despite herself, tears gathering in her eyes. Itachi grabbed her chin and pulled it up, his eyes meeting hers. Sakura tried to look away, but felt herself being drawn into Itachi's gaze, his red eyes were so entrancing… so like Sasuke's. Sakura shuddered at this thought.

"Let go of me," she managed to say, her voice quiet and frightened despite her best efforts. Itachi picked her up, ignoring what she'd said and headed for the door. Sakura lost his eye contact, as he looked top see where he was going, and the trance ended. She lurched up, yelping and looking wildly about for some sort of weapon. Her sore body hurt with all of the movement, and Sakura felt so tired she could have fallen asleep right there in Itachi's arms. In the murderer's arms. Sakura sobbed at the thought; shuddering in the knowledge that she had almost no chakra.

Sakura yelled as Itachi leapt down to the ground, ignoring the staircase, and begin running through the outskirts of Konoha. She twisted and squirmed in his grip, trying to force his hands loose. "If you don't stop moving I might drop you," Itachi warned her, leaping out of the gate to Konoha and landing in a tree. He began traveling through the forest, leaping from tree to tree with relative ease. Sakura's breathing was heavy with the constant fruitless struggle she'd put up, and it was only willpower that kept her from simply curling up in Itachi's arms and going back to sleep. Sakura knew that it would do her fever no good, but she twisted about anyways, ignoring the chills that the cool evening air was giving her. It was spring, but early spring, and the weather hadn't quite warmed up yet.

Itachi gave a final jump and landed on the hard ground, standing up and waiting expectantly. Sakura gave her wrist a violent jerk, and to her satisfaction and horror, Itachi finally let go of her. Sakura fell onto the ground, barely catching herself in an awkward sideways roll as she landed. She arched her back painfully; the bruises she'd just had healed by Tsunade were reforming. Sakura sat up and then slowly got up, rubbing her back. "Why are we stopping?" She asked, wiping dirt off of her front. Sakura swayed slightly as she stood; exhaustion and sickness were taking their toll.

"We're waiting for Kisame," Itachi said simply. Sakura looked around, falling into a defensive stance on instinct. It gave her a more stable footing, and a chance to assess her situation.

Very little chakra, very tired, though she bet she could still run if the situation called for it; she was feverish, and getting worse. Sakura looked Itachi up and down; he was looking away in a decided direction, obviously waiting for his associate.

Sakura realized that despite its obvious consequences, her page trip with Kakashi had done its job; she could place almost exactly where they were in relation to Konoha. Sakura thought back desperately on her training with Kakashi. Only one phrase from him echoed through her head; _don't make eye contact_. I already know that, she thought to herself angrily, trying to think clearly back to anything else that could help. A moment later all that could come to her mind was that she felt sick. Very sick.

Sakura fell out of her fighting stance as she stumbled to her knees. She coughed, her eyes watering as she swallowed. She finally let herself go, and vomited the remains of her breakfast. She sobbed, hiccupping as she got back up, trying to regain her thoughts as the nausea slowly passed.

Itachi could see through any illusions or techniques, the only option she had was to either hide or run. Sakura looked around desperately, painfully aware that Itachi was watching her out of his peripheral vision. "Kunoichi, you're sick and have almost no chakra; there's no point in running," he said after a minute or two.

Despite this, Sakura was about to make a run for it, horrified at the thought that this could be her last chance to escape. But, just as she crouched back and prepared to use the last of her chakra to run her way up the trees, she was saved the trouble of trying to escape. "You found her?"

Itachi nodded at Kisame, who'd jumped into the clearing. His shoulders sagged in relief. "She was with the fox boy," Itachi replied, his eyes trailing back to Sakura. He strode past Kisame and to her in the time it took for Sakura to realize how horribly fast her heart was beating and her breath was coming to her. "We're leaving." He scooped her up bridal style and nodded to Kisame. Sakura shrieked as they took off.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

Naruto ran with Kakashi and flung open his door. They both sprinted to Naruto's bed to find the blankets twisted and empty. The window wasn't open, and neither was the door. Naruto looked around wildly, running to the bathroom and then the kitchen yelling for Sakura. "Naruto!" Kakashi yelled after a few minutes of this. Naruto ran to Kakashi's side, panting. "She's gone Naruto. We need to find the Hokage."

Naruto stood, dumbstruck at the information. "Kakashi," he began, trying to reason with him. If something had happened to Sakura, then it was his fault for taking her there. "Kakashi, where is she?"

A/N First of all, as I'm not entirely sure of the type of baths and beds that they have in the universe of Naruto and such, I am making them, for the sake of this story, the Japanese style. I considered taking out the bath scene… but, dull as it might be, I love Japanese baths, and I simply couldn't help myself. I'd also like to say a special thank you to the 6 people who reviewed the last chapter of this! I love you all! And as always, I'm very appreciative of any reviews you're kind enough to give me; I'd like to know how I can improve my writing and characterization. Well, I'll see you next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Let me try to keep this short. I have taken an indefinite break from writing, but being so long away from it, I've found the nagging need to write. So, after much writing and rewriting, here is the unfortunately short next chapter.

As a general rule, Sakura's dreams always made little to no sense. And honestly, confusing as they were, how could she face a therapist with the confession that through out her first year as a chunin, she'd had reoccurring dreams of her toaster talking to her? Sakura seldom had dreams she could understand, and she remembered even fewer. Which was why, by the time she woke up, Sakura had no recollection of her dreams of the night and evening before, other than the vague feeling that she was sitting on a bed in a cold, dark room, talking to something, or someone. And in an instant, even that vague recollection was lost.

Sakura opened her eyes a crack, then, shutting them to the offending morning light, she rolled over on the bed. Sakura frowned ever so slightly. This was not her bed. Her bed was a simple futon in her apartment, not a large, western style bed that seemed both strangely warm and cold at the same time. Sakura wearily opened her eyes and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her head pounded in the light of the sun rising over the horizon, and Sakura's mind finally decided to start working. Her fever was getting worse, though Sakura felt less tired than she had the day before. She could also feel her chakra again, and, low as it was, it was vastly reassuring.

"Eat."

Sakura blinked, looking around warily for the voice. Itachi had come into the room behind her, and, as she swiveled around to see him, involuntarily shuddering at the sight. The previous day's events came to her in a flash of memory, and Sakura didn't know whether she wanted to scream, cry, or simply lie back down in the soft bed and go to sleep. In the end, she was saved the trouble of deciding as Itachi handed her a bowl of rice and dried fish. Sakura took it on impulse, her mouth watering as she separated the wooden chopsticks and eagerly picked up the fish to eat. She stopped, the bite of food mere inches away from her open mouth.

"It's not poisoned," Itachi said, sitting down beside her on the bed with his own bowl of food. 'If we'd wanted you dead, you already would be,' was the unspoken but mutually felt phrase that hung in the air, and yet Sakura still hesitated, her stomach rumbling in an angry reminder that she hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before.

Itachi took his chopsticks and reached over, taking the bit of fish from Sakura's unsteady grip, and having done such and made sure that she was watching him, popped it into his mouth and ate it, his eyes meeting hers calculatingly. He swallowed, and with that slight and quiet movement of his throat, Sakura lost the few remaining shreds of her resolution.

She picked up her bowl and wolfed down her food with no hesitation, reasoning that for god's sake, she was with the Akatsuki! Who would give a damn about her manners? The fear that had run rampant through her just the day before was drown out by other feelings. The drunken sleepiness of her fever, a spiteful anger, though she couldn't quite say who she was angry at, and deep, painful sorrow.

Itachi reached forward and put the back of his hand on her forehead. "Hold still," he said, in a voice that generally implied that it was not a request. Sakura, who'd instinctively shied away at the touch, stopped squirming. "Your fever is worse, you'll need medicine soon," Itachi said, pulling his hand back. Sakura inched away nervously, suddenly becoming aware of how close they were sitting.

"How long was I asleep yesterday?" Sakura asked, her mind screaming at her to shut up, but unable to stop. "Where are we?"

"You slept all day and night; you'd used too much energy trying to escape," Itachi answered, getting up and walking to the closet. Sakura took this to mean 'It's no use, so stop trying to run away and you'll save both of us a lot of wasted energy.' She was beginning to think that with Itachi, the less he said, the more he meant; it was what was left unsaid that really mattered.

He pulled it open and took out his Akatsuki cloak. "And it doesn't matter where we are, because we're leaving." Sakura had half expected him to simply not answer her, but she found the answers he gave more antagonizing than no answer would have been, and slightly frustrating. It seemed that he had no intentions of telling her anything important, though this didn't really surprise Sakura.

Itachi finished snapping his cloak shut and walked back to the bed where Sakura still sat. "Take this with, we can't stop often on the way so you'll have to last until we reach the Akatsuki hideout to the west." Sakura took the blanket he handed her uncertainly. It had been established the day before that she had no chance of escape in her current condition, and though the fact irked her, she was a bit relieved for rest. Sakura had grown strong over the years, there was no doubt of that, but being both sick and frighteningly low on chakra, there wasn't much resistance she could successfully put up against any of the Akatsuki. Sakura wrapped the blanket around herself, hugging its soft warmth.

Itachi pulled her to her feet and picked her up as he had the day before and left. Sakura thought dull, hopeless thoughts to herself as they began traveling because really, right now she was a little low on enthusiasm. When they met up with Kisame and left the small village back to the forest, Sakura became aware that she no longer knew where they were. At this epiphany, she closed her eyes and buried her face in Itachi's cloak, choosing blindness over the knowledge of how difficult it was becoming for her to even imagine an escape back home.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Where's Kakashi?" Anko asked. "Why the hell has the Akatsuki kidnapped Sakura?"

"He's seeing the medics," Tsunade said. She drummed her fingers across the desk next to Anko's hospital bed anxiously. "I should have seen this coming…" Both of the aggravated women glanced at each other and waited impatiently.

Kakashi opened up the door and walked in, his arm in a sling, but otherwise healed. He stopped a step in, second-guessing his decision to come as he was hit with the auras that the women were sending out. "What did you do to Sakura?" Anko asked, breaking the silence. Kakashi sighed; he'd have to get it over with eventually.

"Anko, you're finally awake," He said cheerfully as he walked over and sat down next to her and across from Tsunade. "It's a long story…"

"I'm listening," Anko replied. Tsunade waited impatiently, glaring at Kakashi. Kakashi was saved the trouble of repeating the story to Anko by a loud crash in the front of the Hospital. They all looked up, already half expecting the voices they heard only moments later.

"No, didn't she say to take a left?"

"Idiot, they're right there, just keep going strait." Tsunade turned to Anko gesturing wildly; luckily, Anko understood immediately and lay down, feigning sleep.

It was lucky for them that Sasuke and Naruto could never get along with each other long enough to make a discrete entrance.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"We need to stop," Sakura groaned, awakening from her sleepy stupor and clutching her stomach after several restless hours of travel. "I'm going to be sick." Itachi stopped and let her down from his arms, where she promptly fell on all four and vomited her breakfast, her chest heaving and eyes watering unpleasantly. Sakura pushed herself back up after she was sure that she was done, stifling sobs as she wiped her eyes and mouth. Cold chills made her shudder in the cloudy weather, and her head was pulsing with every breath of the cold, biting air.

Itachi watched her sit up, and pulled out a vial from his cloak. "Drink this," he crouched beside her and held it out. Sakura shook her head, shivering, and pushed it away. Itachi uncorked it and grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking back her head. He poured in the light green liquid from the vial into her mouth as she shrieked in pain. Sakura gagged at the bittersweet taste as she tried to push away his hands, but Itachi held her head cocked back until she'd unwillingly swallowed the last of it. Only then did he let her go.

"What the hell was that?" Sakura asked, shivering uncontrollably as Itachi wrapped the blanket from the hotel back around her. She glared at him with renewed anger and humiliation.

"Medicine, it will help you sleep," Itachi replied. Sakura's stomach wasn't about to have any of that. Sakura rolled onto her side, clutching her stomach in pain.

"I'm going to puke," she mumbled, her breathing quickening.

"Don't," Itachi commanded. "You need to keep it down or it won't help." Sakura knew that he was probably right, but the cold air was making her light headed, and she could feel bile rising up in her throat. Itachi took Sakura's shoulder and rolled her onto her back as she started swallowing back the vomit. He rubbed her lower stomach soothingly with one hand, pressing it with his fingers. Sakura felt the nausea slowly subside, and relaxed into the Itachi's soothing touch, desperately happy for the slight relief from the overwhelming feeling of sickness. "Can you get up?"

Sakura nodded weakly and pushed herself up, gathering the blankets around her. Itachi picked her back up, turned, and nodded to Kisame.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Where's Sakura?" Naruto yelled, storming in alongside Sasuke as they pushed and shoved their way through the door.

"Where's Itachi?" Sasuke yelled in turn as they came to Anko's bedside, panting for breath. Kakashi did his best to remain unnoticed as he surreptitiously edged towards the door, but Tsunade knew better.

"Ask Kakashi," she said, her usual humor gone. "I assume you've both come to ask to join the search party." Naruto nodded feverishly while looking at Kakashi curiously, but Sasuke didn't join him.

"What does this all have to do with my brother?" Sasuke demanded. "Answer me!" Tsunade stood up abruptly, her chair almost falling over in her haste.

"I'm afraid that that's confidential," She said quietly, daring Sasuke to push her any harder. "If you aren't going to join the mission, get out." Sasuke narrowed his eyes impatiently, before swallowing his pride.

"I want to join," he spat out in desperation. "When will we be debriefed on the mission details?"

"Naruto, Sasuke, meet Kakashi tomorrow for debriefing, he'll tell you where and when. Be prepared to leave afterwards," Tsunade said, "I'll be sending someone else along as well. Now get going, this is a hospital and we don't know when Anko might wake up. If you want to hear more, ask him," she pointed to Kakashi, a small smile growing on her lips as both of the boy's heads whipped around. At this point, Kakashi was about halfway out of the door.

"Nice try," Tsunade muttered, amused, as she watched the two boys swarm their old sensei with questions as they crashed out of the door in their excitement. "I need to find Shizune…"

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura spent the rest of the day in a sleepy fever, occasionally waking up long enough to try and see where they were, or try to eat something. Both attempts ended unsuccessfully, despite her best efforts. For the most part, she was only partially conscious, her deliriousness destroying any thought process that could have taken place. Itachi checked her temperature every hour or so, but she didn't appear to be getting better; if anything, she was becoming more and more miserable and uncomfortable as time went on. "Is she awake?" Kisame asked as they stopped for a half hour break. They were almost there.

"No," Itachi replied, "at least not fully. She's dreaming." He set the bundle of blankets that held Sakura down on the ground and sat down next to her. Sakura rolled over, her face shining with sweat, and groaned. An uncomfortable silence settled in as they waited for her to calm down. "Wake up," Itachi said, gently shaking her shoulder.

Sakura mumbled quietly, her eyes opening ever so slightly. They were glazed over and uncomprehending, but Itachi went on anyways. "Take this; it's the last of the medicine that we have until we get there." He pulled a half full vial out of his cloak. "The drowsiness should have worn off by then." Sakura opened her mouth to form words, but nothing came out except for a light gurgle. Itachi assumed in a grave humor that, in her sickened state, that was Sakura's way of saying "Why yes, I'd appreciate that," and uncorked it, sliding the tip in between her open lips.

As Sakura was forced to swallow, a dull flicker of understanding and alertness flashed in her eyes. She gulped down the rest of the medicine of her own free will, and looked about wearily, pushing herself up on her elbows. "How long… has it been since I've been up?" she asked.

"A few hours," Kisame answered, as he took up a seat across from Itachi and Sakura. Sakura nodded uncertainly.

"Let's get going, at this rate she won't make it," Itachi said, getting up. Kisame nodded and followed suit. Had Sakura been in her right mind, she would have pondered this phrase, but, under the new medicine's mind addling effects, she simply lay, limp and exhausted, as Itachi picked her up and cradled her in the nest of cloth that was the blanket.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Shizune, I need to be able to keep an eye on Sasuke, you have to do this," Tsunade insisted, pacing the room.

"Tsunade, this is crazy! Why do you always do these things?" Shizune asked, looking for some way out, any way to escape Tsunade's plans. "I know I've done it before, but just for a day or two, this trip could take weeks!"

"Shizune, I made a promise and I intend to keep it," Tsunade reiterated. "You can handle it, so get over yourself." Shizune sighed; why was she always the one dragged into these things?

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura became more awake as the day went on, and by evening when they reached the Akatsuki building she was thinking as clearly as she had been that morning. Considering the influence of the multitude of drugs that she was under, it was an accomplishment that she was rather proud of. Itachi took off his shoes and walked in, directing Kisame as he did so. "Take her to my room and lay her down on the spare futon," he relayed, setting Sakura down, "If she's sick, take her to the bathroom." She stood shakily for one of the few times that day, nausea combining with a fleeting sense of accomplishment as she stumbled along with Kisame for support.

"Where's Itachi?" she asked feebly, concentrating on staying upright and thinking strait.

"He'll be back in a minute or so, he's getting medicine," Kisame replied, stopping at a door. He slid it open and guided Sakura in. He opened a futon closet and took out a mess of bedding for her, obviously not relishing the task of babysitting. Sakura lay down sleepily as Kisame took a seat beside the rats nest of blankets that had been deemed her bed, waiting. Several minutes of uncomfortable silence passed which neither party felt particularly compelled to break, before the door opened and Itachi strode in.

"Did she throw up?" He asked Kisame as he sat down next to them both. Kisame shook his head. Sakura sat up slowly, her head protesting as she did, and saw a syringe in Itachi's hand.

"What's that?" she asked, feeling rather stupid in the bluntness of her question, but unable to think of any other way of putting it. Her breathing hitched slightly at the sight of the unknown clear liquid inside of it.

"Medicine. It should put you to sleep for 20-24 hours," Itachi said, uncapping the needle. "Your chances are about 50/50, though regaining your chakra is a good sign."

"Chances of what, permanent damage, a coma?" Sakura asked, a worried frown working itself across her brow.

"Death," Itachi replied simply. Sakura felt a distinct air fill the room, but was unable to really feel anything other than numb shock.

"…Do I get a last request?" She asked quietly. "Since I might die?" A crack in her voice tuned her in and she realized that one of the topmost emotions in her right now was sadness, dark and cold and empty. Itachi said nothing for a moment and then recapped the needle.

"If it's reasonable and within my power," he said at last. Sakura breathed a slight sigh of relief, bewildered as to what she wanted. A last meal? She would throw it up. Going back to Konoha, she somehow thought would go under the 'unreasonable' category, as would a visit from any of her friends. Sakura's head hurt as she thought of what she had most wanted since leaving.

"…I want to take a bath," she realized, "A hot, proper one with shampoo and conditioner for my hair." A slight smile of morbid amusement flickered across Itachi's face.

"Luckily for you that's well within my means," he replied, getting up and helping Sakura up. "Kisame, wait here, this shouldn't be long."

Sakura used Itachi's shoulder for support as she stumbled along beside him down what seemed to be endless hallways and rows of doors. She felt every moment last an age, aware of every step as she walked to what was quite possibly her final wish. All too soon, they were there.

"In here," Itachi said, opening a door and leading Sakura in. It was a plain bathroom, not particularly extraordinary in any fact other than it had a larger bath than most. Sakura turned to thank Itachi, but stopped when she saw him close the door.

"You can go now, I'll just be an hour or so," Sakura stuttered, her face reddening. Itachi made no move to leave.

"I can't have you passing out in the bathtub and drowning," he replied. "There's no point in being modest; your nightgown is sheer." Sakura flushed at the blatancy of his comment as she looked down at her only article of clothing. After a couple of days of wear and tear, the sweat and rips in the delicate fabric had left nothing to the imagination. It had been getting threadbare even before Sakura had been kidnapped, and now, she may as well simply be walking around in her panties. This though, did nothing to defuse her embarrassed outrage, and instead confirmed her fear that Itachi had no plans of leaving.

"I can't bathe with you watching!" Sakura exclaimed before she could stop herself. She bit her tongue nervously, wondering whether that little outburst was wise or not. Itachi's eyes glinted for a moment, the ghost of a smile crossing them.

"Then don't bathe." He sat down, leaning on the door. Sakura huffed; she'd been quivering in fear of this man simply the day before, but chances were that she would die by the next day, and she really didn't care at the moment. Frowning, Sakura turned away from Itachi and stripped down to her bare, goose bump covered skin. She sat down on the floor wearily and began to wash herself. Sakura wasn't going to let her sick and tired condition get in the way of enjoying what might be her last bath.

Dumping a bowl of water over herself, Sakura slowly got up and took a few careful steps to the bathtub. She eased herself in, slipping about halfway but regaining her balance. Sakura sat down in the steaming hot water, relaxing to the point of where she wasn't entirely sure whether she was awake or not. "Can I ask you something?" Sakura asked sleepily, looking at Itachi. He blinked, waiting. "If I die here, will you take my body back to Konoha for me?"

"I will," Itachi replied from across the room.

"How do I know that?" Sakura asked with a wry smile. "You're a felon, what good's your word?"

"I swear on the Uchiha name that I will," He responded. Sakura nodded, satisfied by this, and lay back in the tub, the steaming hot water up to her neck.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"…Do you have anything clean that I could wear?" Sakura asked as she stepped out of the bathtub. Warmth seemed to radiate from her body; the bath had relaxed her to exhaustion in its luxuriousness. Frankly, her own bath wasn't much worse, but this one was enormous, and it had been days since she'd last taken a bath. Sakura waited for Itachi to get a towel for her, standing naked in the middle of the room.

"Here," Itachi said, handing her a rather worn green towel. Sakura took it and immediately began to dry off, always watching Itachi's eyes. She felt relief at their indifference, but also slightly insulted at the extreme level that it went to. He'd glanced her up and down once, probably to check for injuries, and was done with it. Sakura huffed lightly, wrapping the towel around herself. She nodded to Itachi, who stepped forward to offer support and lead the way out. Sakura took his shoulder, slipping on the wet floor as she did so and falling.

Itachi caught her with ridiculously fast reflexes and held her inches above the ground by her hand, but after waiting a minute or two while Sakura struggled to pull herself up, pulled her up himself. Sakura felt her head growing light, but balanced herself, preparing to head back. "Can you walk?" Itachi asked. Sakura nodded, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. She was stronger than this and she knew that she was!

Itachi watched her, waiting for the truth they both knew, but pride kept from being spoken. Sakura's shoulders sagged in submission, but she made no answer. Itachi scooped her up and began the trek back to his room. Sakura laid her head down sleepily, cradled by the fabric of his cloak. It smelled of sweat mostly, and the sweet smell of pine, probably from all of the forest they'd traveled through.

Itachi pulled Sakura back to consciousness by shaking her shoulder gently. She sat up, rubbing her eyes as she tried to remember where she was. "How long was I asleep?" she asked. She couldn't even remember falling asleep.

"Not long," Itachi replied. Sakura looked around; she was laying down on a futon in Itachi's room. In the place of the towel she'd had wrapped protectively around herself was a rather big black yukata. Before Sakura could demand an explanation as to who'd dared to change her clothes while she was asleep, Itachi had turned back to her, sitting at her bedside with the syringe. "If you don't wake up by the end of tomorrow, we'll assume death," Itachi said, uncapping it fluidly and bringing it down to her arm.

Sakura nodded, looking away as Itachi pressed the needle through her skin and into a vein. "Tell Sasuke goodbye for me," she whispered, her eyes glancing over at Itachi. Then she closed them and waited for the inevitable sleep that overtook her.

A/N I don't know when I'll write again, school's got my life in a choke hold and it doesn't look like it's going to let up anytime soon. If you find enjoyment in reading this, then good, that's why I posted it. I hope to get back into writing; it's really been far too long… let's hope I can get up the next chapter with a bit less lag time.


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